Grade 5 History Worksheets
US History, part one. Ships crossed the Atlantic, colonies took root, and the seeds of a new nation were planted.
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What your child will learn: Exploration & the Thirteen Colonies
- Native nations had lived across North America for thousands of years before Europeans arrived.
- In 1492 Christopher Columbus sailed from Spain and reached islands in the Caribbean, opening lasting contact between Europe and the Americas.
- Contact brought trade but also war and European diseases, which killed a devastating share of Native peoples.
- Jamestown (1607) was the first permanent English settlement; Plymouth followed in 1620.
- Thirteen English colonies grew along the Atlantic coast, divided into New England, Middle and Southern colonies. Slavery of African people was practised in all thirteen.
Sample worksheet questions
1. Name the three groups of colonies.
Answer: New England, Middle and Southern
2. What was the first permanent English settlement?
Answer: Jamestown, in 1607
3. What killed a huge number of Native people after contact?
Answer: European diseases
4. How many English colonies were there?
Answer: Thirteen
5. In what year did Columbus first cross the Atlantic?
Answer: 1492
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⛵ Activity Sheet: Colony Chart: Make three columns for New England, Middle and Southern colonies. Under each, write the climate, main crops or work, and one colony's name.
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